Princess Mononoke: The Twist of Fate
by lolchampie
Summary: Iron Town is nearing its completion, and Ashitaka has grown closer to San. Unfortunately, peace seldom lasts. The forest is being razed to the ground in the other side of the forest, where a human-or is he really a human?-has led his people to violent victories. Can Ashitaka face his last challenge to "see with eyes unclouded", or will he have to fight to save the one(s) he loves?
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

_**(A/N: Hi, all! This is my first fanfic story, so please review and let me know what I can improve on! This story features "Princess Mononoke", my favorite Miyazaki film. The film was great, but I was VERY disappointed that San and Ashitaka didn't end up together!**_

_**Since this is the first chapter, I'm simply introducing some new characters and tying my story with the movie. There is no conflict yet, but stay tuned for some intense action. Enjoy!)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to "Princess Mononoke".**_

**Princess Mononoke: The Twist of Fate**

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

_San ran through the forest in a frenzy, ignoring the branches that scratched her body. She was running somewhere, although she was not sure where. Her feet seemed to be leading her senselessly. Suddenly, she picked up the strong scent of death and fear off to the distance. The sound of steel and explosions reverberated from the trees._

"_San!" a voice cried. Alarmed, San quickly looked to her right. Only the darkness of the forest met her sight, and San thought she had misheard the cry. Then, it came again, more powerful and more desperate: "San! Help me!"_

_San's heart stopped as she recognized the voice. "Ashitaka!" She yelled, running towards his voice. She gripped her knife in her fist tightly as she jumped over the dead bodies strewn on the ground. _No, _she thought, _Ashitaka cannot be here._ She desperately prayed to her mother Moro that Ashitaka will be alive when she found him._

"_San…" a voice trailed off nearby. Although San was heavily breathing, her heart felt numb at the weak sound of the voice. Ashitaka had never sounded like this before; he was the warrior, the prince of the Emishi tribe! She quickly turned her head around to see Ashitaka among the bodies, his stomach plastered with blood. _

"_Ashitaka!" Was all she was able to say as she knelt down beside him. Ashitaka slowly located San with his eyes and smiled. _

"_You…came," He said incredulously. "I was shot. The power from the demon scar is the only thing keeping me alive—so far." Looking over San's face, Ashitaka lifted his hand in an attempt to touch her face. "San…you're…beautiful. As always."_

_San saw tears brim her eyes as she saw Ashitaka wince under the pain of speaking. "No!" She shrieked as his eyes began closing. "Ashitaka, I love you!" She hugged the dying boy tight in her arms as she spoke._

_Ashitaka's eyes widened. "San!..." He exclaimed, as he turned his head slightly to look at her. His eyes were warm and strong, but San could feel the life draining out of his body. "I…"_

_Ashitaka struggled to say something, but no sound came from his mouth. Then, Ashitaka slowly closed his eyes. Soon after, his chest stopped its motion._

_San could no longer hold back her tears. As she sobbed over the dead warrior, she beat the ground in her mourning fury, her mind overcome with counfusing thoughts. "Stupid Ashitaka!" she wailed, as her conscious began fading from her. "You promised you'd be safe…" _

_A kodoma walked over to Ashitaka and touched his hand, bowing its head in sorrow. Then it looked at San and clicked its head, as if it wanted to tell her something. Immediately, San's vision started to cloud over with darkness, engulfing her mind and body with a black paste._

_As she struggled to clear her eyes, an old woman's voice suddenly penetrated San's mind, powerfully ringing inside her head. "You cannot alter your fate," the voice began. "However-you can rise to meet it if you choose."_

* * *

The sun beat down on San's eyelids, jolting her awake. Her wolf brothers were watching her from the mouth of the cave, as she struggled to remember what happened. "Ashitaka!" She suddenly cried out, and looked around her.

"What's wrong, sister?" Tiju, the younger wolf, asked her as she searched around the stone cave. "Are you looking for food?"

"She obviously misses the boy, Tiju," Mure, the older brother, sneered. "San, it is not yet noon. Can you not tell by the sun?" He pointed at the sky.

San looked at them distractedly as her eyes cleared from sleep. She looked around herself once more, and rose from her mattress. "Sorry brothers," she said, as she closed her eyes and opened them again. "I have had a terrible nightmare, it seems." She walked over to the edge of the cave, looking at the sun. "Did I really sleep this much?"

Mure narrowed his eyes at San, looking at her sideways. "What nightmare?" he asked. San shook her head, deciding that she would rather not talk about such a bad dream. At this, Mure seemed more concerned than ever. "Sister, wolves almost never dream. And when we do, it's usually associated with the near future."

San's heart dropped once more. "Is it possible…that I had a human dream?" San did not dream much, but she did know that she dreamt a bit more than her brothers due to her human body.

"I do not know," Mure said sadly. "But it would be best to tell us what it was, so we could prepare for it. If it is a human dream, we have no need to worry. But if the dream comes from the forest, then we may be in grave danger."

San's thought immediately went to the woman's words at the end of her dream. She was a wolf reared by Moro; would the forest have gifted her with a warning? Was it trying to tell her something? Or was her dream simply a human nightmare? Was it a combination of the two, like she was the combination of a human's body and a wolf's soul?

Tiju rubbed his head against her while she pondered. "Come, sister, we must hunt before the human warrior comes to visit us. By then, you will be too busy with him to care about us."

San snapped back to reality. "Oh Tiju," she said playfully, trying to smile. "You know that's not true! I love you much more than I love any human, Tiju. I am a wolf, not a human." Deep inside, a part of her wondered if she had spoken the truth. She decided to push it aside for later.

Mure continued to glare at San. When San glared back with an equally fierce face, Mure quickly turned away and sighed. "You win," he said. "Still, we should go quickly. Ashitaka only visits once every two weeks, and our sister would not like to miss the opportunity of seeing him."

San's darkened face brightened up at the thought of meeting Ashitaka. "Right! Let's go!'

* * *

"Wake up, Ashitaka! Get your lazy head off of that pillow!" Toki shouted, barging into Ashitaka's room. Ashitaka groaned as Toki shook him violently. "We've got plenty of work to do!"

"Okay, Toki, just give me a moment," Ashitaka replied, getting up on his elbows. He could hear the loud din of the construction outside. Remembering that Iron Town was very near its completion, Ashitaka quickly jumped up from his bed and accepted the bowl of rice Toki offered him. "Thank you," he said, as Toki smiled and left. After dressing and eating quickly, Ashitaka burst out the door and surveyed the town with pride.

Iron Town looked magnificent—better than it had ever been. The countless iron-molding sites had been transformed into town squares, where various businesses sold goods. Outside, the desolate plains had been transformed into peaceful farms using the water from the lake. The town was surrounded by three thick walls, which was in turn surrounded by a moat created from the lake. Eboshi wanted to make sure that if people like Asano ever tried to attack again, they would face a peaceful yet powerful Iron Town.

A fume of smoke wafted up into the sky, making a single line of black smoke that spread all the way up to the clouds. Ashitaka had agreed with Eboshi that iron was necessary for defense and production, as it provided many advantages with the development of Iron Town. It had been hard to convince San to let Eboshi extract iron from the forest, but Ashitaka had promised her that the forest would stay safe. Eboshi would only use the iron when Iron Town desperately needed it.

"Ashitaka!" a voice suddenly cried, catching Ashitaka off guard and pulling him from his thoughts. A little girl, dressed in a flamboyant pink dress, ran over to him and hugged his knees as she tried to tackle him down. Laughing lightly, Ashitaka lowered himself and warmly hugged the girl.

"How did our little Sophie sleep last night?" He asked, lifting the girl up easily. Sophie yelped in glee, quickly clambering on to Ashitaka's neck.

"A horse does not ask so many questions!" She said, pointing forward with her fingers. "Get going, you lazy steed!"

"Yes, ma'am," Ashitaka said officiously, as he walked toward the bakery. Sophie's eyes widened as she realized where he was going.

"No! No! Turn around! A disaster is coming our wa—"

"Sophie! What do you think you're doing?" A young lady, dressed in a simple orange robe, said through the bakery window. She quickly locked the cashier and burst outside, hands on her hips.

"It's my sister! Run from that witch!" Sophie yelled, pulling on Ashitaka's hair. Wincing in pain, Ashitaka carefully lowered Sophie to the ground, tickling her to get her hands off from pulling his hair out.

"My apologies, Melanie," Ashitaka said, smiling. "I thought Sophie could have a little fun."

Melanie blushed as she shook her head violently. "No, no, I didn't mean that!" she exclaimed as she fidgeted with her clothes. Her face continued to get redder as she saw Ashitaka smiling at her.

"It's all right," he said, as Sophie, seeing that her sister's attention had been averted, ran away. "How did you sleep?"

Melanie continued to look at Ashitaka, twirling her hair. Ashitaka cleared his throat.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Did you say something?" She asked, her gaze returning to the floor. As Ashitaka opened his mouth to ask again, a voice cried out from the distance.

"Hey, Ashitaka! Stop flirting with Melanie and help us down here!" Toki cried. Ashitaka blushed. He hoped people didn't think he was flirting—he loved San too much to look at any other girl amorously.

Ashitaka quickly ran over to the site of construction. He was needed more than ever, since his demonic strength made him one of the best builders in town. Ashitaka had been surprised when he first found out that his strength had remained when the curse was healed. The Forest Spirit had blessed him. When he reached the workers, Toki welcomed him with a smile and a hammer.

* * *

By noon, Ashitaka had latched his sword beside him and had put on his travelling cloak. Calling Yakul with a simple whistle, he headed toward the gates slowly, taking care not to run over anything in construction. When he had neared the gate, he heard a voice calling his name.

"Ashitaka!" Melanie shouted. "Where are you going!" She was running towards him. Ashitaka stopped Yakul and waved his hand at her. "I'm going to see San!" He yelled back. "I'll be back to help later, okay?" He pushed Yakul forward and rode out of the gates as the guards pulled the drawbridge down the moat.

At his answer, Melanie stopped and leaned against a wall, panting heavily. She looked at Ashitaka with sadness and jealousy. "Stupid Ashitaka," she said quietly, as she watched him get further and further away. "Be back soon."

**(A/N: As I said, there weren't much action in this chapter...but you get the gist of what has happened since the ending of the movie. Ashitaka visits San every two weeks, and Iron Town is nearing its completion as a better town-all seems perfect until San receives a nightmare that could be a warning. And who is this Melanie, who has apparently taken interest to Ashitaka? I know you want me to give the "happily ever after" soon but that won't be happening until the characters overcome some special challenges. Stay tuned to find out! Reviews are greatly appreciated!)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Encounter

**(A/N: Here is the second chapter! As I promised, the story begins to rise from this point...but I still have a long way to go. Enjoy, and please review!)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to "Princess Mononoke"**

**Princess Mononoke: The Twist of Fate**

**Chapter 2: The Encounter**

San began returning to her cave by high noon, riding on Tiju. Her other brother Mure carried two hunted deer, slung perpendicularly to his back. All three of the wolves were smeared with blood from the ferocious hunt.

"That was an _amazing_ feast we had!" Tiju cried out. He hadn't been this full all his life. San smiled at her younger brother. Sometimes even wolves seemed like innocent children. As she was about to admonish Tiju for his childish behavior, a loud growl erupted from her stomach.

Mure and Tiju laughed as San tried to cover up the sound. "Looks like our sister is still hungry," Mure said in his ever-so-snobbish voice. San shot him a deadly look.

"I'm _sorry_," San replied, sighing and rubbing her stomach. "I would like to have joined in your feast, but I just can't eat raw meat. My pathetic little body won't let me."

"Don't worry, San!" Tiju said enthusiastically, pointing to the deer on Mure's back with his head. "You'll have a feast with those two deer when we get home. With _Ashitaka._"

San grinned at Tiju's words, though she punched him lightly. All the wolves knew it was true, however: She was looking forward to the feast with Ashitaka, who she was sure would come soon that day. _Control yourself,_ she thought, as her cave came into view. _You're a wolf, not some petty human girl_.

Beyond the thick underbrush, a young red elk was grazing some grass in the sun. "Yakul!" San cried out, leaning forward to stroke Yakul's firm head as she passed. Yakul was a noble creature, a powerful yet quiet animal, who was eternally loyal to his friend Ashitaka. Unlike the wolves, who distinctly set an alpha and an omega, and who threateningly displayed their powers near an enemy, Yakul seemed like a much nobler animal. San sometimes pondered if this was how other people viewed the relationship between her and Ashitaka: a fearless, ferocious wolf-girl meeting with a humble yet powerful warrior.

"San!" A cheerful voice interrupted San's thoughts. Ashitaka was looking at her from the edge of the cave, his eyes sparkling with joy. San jumped from Tiju and clambered over the rocks, holding Ashitaka in a tight embrace as she reached the mouth of the cave.

"You're finally here," she remarked, breaking her hug quickly lest her brothers judge her. Mure was keeping an especially curious eye at her, trying to comprehend her actions toward Ashitaka. San turned to her brothers, making sure to glare at Mure as she spoke. "Leave the deer here with us. We'll be fine. Please go guard the forest for me."

Mure snorted loudly, but the two wolves retreated into the forest. Ashitaka watched San warily as she drove her brothers away, wondering why she didn't want them nearby. "You don't have to send them away, San," he said softly, touching her shoulder.

San shook her head. "No, they'll tease me about your visit later on. They find it amusing that I'm letting a human inside my cave—a human _boy_." At this, Ashitaka turned his head toward the forest and grinned at the wolves' concern for San. He thanked them silently for not biting his head off, as Moro had promised to do if he returned.

San punched Ashitaka playfully on his shoulder as he scanned the forest, secretly wishing that he'd pay more attention to her than to her brothers. After all, _she_ was the reason he was here, right? "Let's go down to the pool of the Forest Spirit," she said while smelling her arm. "Ugh, I'm covered in all this blood."

Ashitaka laughed. "You look beautiful, San," he replied, taking her hand lightly brushing his lips against it. San giggled at the touch, quickly pulling her hand away even though she wanted more. Displaying a face of disappointment, Ashitaka smiled with embarrassment at her reaction. _Maybe it's too soon_, he thought silently. He kept reminding himself that San had never told him she _liked_ him; rather, she had told him that he _meant _so much to her.

A loud growl from San's stomach broke Ashitaka's brooding. San immediately tried to suppress her stomach with her hand, but the growl only got louder, making them laugh. "Never mind. Let's eat first," San said with humiliation, walking over to one of the deer with her knife.

* * *

After having a hearty meal with rice and deer, Ashitaka and San headed over to the pool of the Forest Spirit. Ashitaka's hand, which seemed to tingle every time he visited the pool, was interlocked with San's hand as they jumped into the pool. San immediately dunked herself in water, which quickly disintegrated the crusted blood on her. Ashitaka shook his head in admiration at the pool's magical powers-so, this was how San did her laundry. It was so clean and so pure, yet so very powerful. Maybe that was why the Forest Spirit visited this place so much more than anywhere else.

San surfaced for air and looked at him with smooth, radiating skin, smiling at him with warm eyes. Ashitaka quickly turned his eyes away from her, curling his hands into fists to stop himself from kissing her. _This is harder than trying to get rid of Nago's curse,_ he concluded, as he surrendered to his emotions and gave her a light peck on her cheek. He swam away immediately after as San blushed and chased after him.

"No one kisses a wolf without a punishment!" San yelled, as she tried to catch up with Ashitaka. San's heart beat faster as her hunting fervor overtook her, urging her to catch the boy and give him what he deserves. Ashitaka was definitely slower than San; he hadn't gone halfway to the other side of the pool before San caught up to her prey. San grabbed Ashitaka's legs and pulled him closer to her, kissing his cheek quietly and swimming backwards. It was Ashitaka's turn to chase her now; he knew well enough what to do.

In the shadows of the pool, two wolves watched the scene tiredly, sighing with boredom. "I don't understand this _game_, Mure," Tiju mumbled, shaking his head at the couple's swimming. "They're like little wolf-children playing a game of tag!" He lowered his head in dejection as he realized that San had chosen to play a childish game with Ashitaka than go exploring the forest with him and Mure. He didn't hate Ashitaka, but he wished San would be more considerate of the wolves' feelings and let them join in the fun.

Mure sighed in return. "They're definitely making it difficult for themselves," he moaned, watching Ashitaka peck San again as she let him catch up to her. "I wish they'd just confess their love already and be done with it. Wolves do not take so long; they just fight competitors for their mates and the issue is finished." Mure paced back and forth restlessly as he spoke, scanning the forest for any enjoyment they could have while watching over their sister secretly. He was sure nothing bad could happen in the pool, but Tiju and Mure had to protect their sister 24/7. They didn't have anything else to do, anyway.

Mure froze in place as he spotted something moving on the other side of the pool. He saw several shadows slipping across the length of the forest around the pool, heading toward San and Ashitaka. "Look," he hissed at Tiju, as the figures quickly neared the couple. A moment later, Tiju spotted it too, and the wolves shot out of the shadows as they ran to protect San from any possible danger. Mure's thought went to San's nightmare as he contemplated whether this was the disaster she may have foreseen.

San noticed the frenzied attitude of the wolves as they ran toward her and turned her head around, spotting the shadows moving toward her. "Ashitaka!" She cried as she pointed to the shadows. She swam to the shore quickly and threw Ashitaka his sword and arrows, brandishing her spear immediately after. The wolves reached her as the figures burst from their shadows in an incredible speed, making a trail of black soot over the grass. It took San a second before she realized what the blur of figures were.

"Demons!" Mure roared, lunging forward and sinking his teeth into the neck of one of the demons heading after them. The demons were slightly bigger than the wolves, and only part of their bodies were covered in red tentacles-meaning that they had just begun giving in to their fury. As Mure tore off the tentacles from a demon's head, San realized what the demons once were.

"Tiju, watch out!" San cried out as her younger brother attacked a demon. "Those are tigers!" San had never fought with or against a tiger before, but she had heard too many stories that confirmed that the species were one of the most dangerous and powerful animals in the forest.

Tiju and the demon had a fierce fight, but soon another demon tackled Tiju. Tiju was quickly covered by three tiger-demons as they tried tearing him apart. "Tiju!" San cried out, as she charged toward one of the demons attacking him. "Get away from my brother, you bastards!"

An arrow flew in the air, penetrating itself deep inside one of the demons. It howled in return, turning around to face Ashitaka who was still in the pool. Notching another arrow, Ashitaka shot the demon once more, this time through its leg. "Calm your fury!" He yelled, as the demon bounded toward him. San quickly pierced a demon through its stomach as it attacked Tiju, diverting the demons' attention for a second.

Tiju was a bloody mess. His body was stained red from his head to his legs, with deep gashes signalling where the tigers had bitten him. Although he had managed to survive, San knew that he was standing in his grave. "Run, quickly!" She said pointing to the pool, as the demons looked for her in confusion. Tiju leaped forward with San and crashed into the pool, immediately falling unconscious. Mure quickly appeared next to her, his white coat of fur matted with blood and tentacles. He smiled at San weakly to signal that he was victorious in his fight before readying himself to fight once more.

San turned around and saw Ashitaka swimming over to her side. A dead demon floated in the pool as it disintegrated into skeletons, the arrows falling from its body.

The two remaining demons roared loudly as they saw their two companions die. Ashitaka pulled his sword out; he had used up all his arrows to kill the one tiger. "These demons are not like Nago," he panted. "It's hard to kill them even with my strength."

San didn't speak. Her spear was still inside one of the demons, so she whipped out her knife. It won't do much, but at least she might be able to stab one of them in the eyes before they eat her.

_We're going to die,_ San thought, as the demons started toward them. _All that fight with Eboshi for nothing._ She suddenly felt immense hatred for Ashitaka. If he had let her die after killing Eboshi, she would have had a much nobler death than being torn apart by demons.

Mure hurled himself at a demon with a battle cry Moro had taught them. San followed, and Ashitaka thrust his sword at the nearing demon's mouth. Before they could make impact, however, four more figures appeared from the trees, tackling the two demons to the side.

Several loud roars bellowed from the new creatures as they repeatedly beat the demons to death. The demons retaliated by clamping their jaws over the creatures' bodies and tearing them apart. A flash of orange and red entered Ashitaka's eyes, and he realized that the new creatures were also tigers. They were already bleeding heavily from the short battle, but the demons had been badly injured as well. _These animals are killing machines,_ he thought silently to himself, as the four tigers tore at the demons. The demons continued to bite the tigers as the tigers furiously maintained their relentless assault. After a while, the demons ran for the forest in rage and anguish, marking their path with large trails of blood.

"Go after them!" A sharp and commanding female voice ordered. Three of the tigers followed the demons in a tight pursuit as the fourth tiger limped over to the wolves, panting heavily as she shook off the blood off her head.

San seemed aghast as she realized who the tiger was. "Akatara!" she gasped, as the creature neared her. San ran over to the tiger, her face drawn tight with concern. Ashitaka started after San, but froze as the tiger, a creature slightly bigger than Moro, looked at him.

"Hello, Princess," Akatara said, as it fell into the pool. The tiger continued to glance at Ashitaka with curiosity as he assisted Mure toward the pool. San followed her gaze, and, as if reading Akatara's thoughts, said, "the human is with us. Don't hurt him."

Akatara looked at her with surprise. "Are you sure?" She said, as San nodded in return. After some thought, Akatara smiled. "I will not hurt him," she reassured San. San sighed in relief at Akatara's answer and collapsed by the pool's shores in exhaustion, motioning to Ashitaka to come near her.

"Ashitaka, this is Akatara, the guardian of the eastern forest," San breathed out. Ashitaka bowed to the tiger-god courteously as he walked forward toward San.

"Thank you for helping us," Ashitaka said, approaching the tiger. Akatara nodded in return. "Where is the eastern forest, and why have you come to this forest?" Ashitaka quickly asked, uncomfortable under the large beast's fierce scrutiny.

"The eastern forest is everything to the east of the pool of the Forest Spirit," the tiger replied, not taking her eyes off of Ashitaka's. "I guard the eastern side, while the Moro tribe guards the western side. Both of us defend the Forest Spirit with our hearts."

San quickly sat up and looked at Akatara. The tiger had furrowed its eyes in sorrow as it turned to San. "I'm sorry, San, about what happened to Moro and the Forest Spirit," Akatara spoke, head hung with guilt. "I was too busy...defending my forest...that I failed to report regularly to the pool."

For the first time in his life, Ashitaka saw a tear drop from San's cheek. Closing her eyes quickly, San turned away from Akatara's gaze as she remembered that the tigers had deserted the Moro tribe when it most desperately needed them. "Why did you come back?" She demanded, her voice stiff and cold. Ashitaka was reminded of the first time he had met her-the voice she used was harsher than when she had told him to go away.

As Akatara opened her mouth to speak, San raised her hand up to silence her. "Don't apologize. The wolf tribe does not forgive the humans for what they did. We cannot forgive the Akatara tribe, either."

Akatara sighed. "The demons...are my children." She stated. Ashitaka gasped at her words, as Akatara lowered her head even further in humiliation. "The humans are defeating us, and our hard-fought battle has yielded some sacrifices...as well as some changes in my tigers."

San simply narrowed her eyes at the large tiger, clutching her fists at the thought that Akatara's children almost killed her brothers. The guardians of the forest do not simply turn into demons. Akatara seemed less and less like the fearless, mighty goddess she was known for.

"Explain," she demanded, her voice sharp with reproach.

**(A/N: It seems there are several guardians of the forest; but it also seems that the tigers have had some trouble controlling the other side of the forest. I thought it was unreasonable (in the movie) to think that Iron Town was the only town destroying the forest-there must be more just like it. What may be happening to the other side of the forest be that could turn four of the guardians into demons? Stay tuned to find out about a city...that is much worse than the former Iron Town.)**


	3. Chapter 3: The New and The Old

**A/N: Oh man, it's been SO long since I last wrote! Sorry for the late delay, it won't happen again!**

**Anyway, this is the third chapter...I won't spoil it! But I promise you, THIS IS GETTING GOOD.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to "Princess Mononoke"...as usual**

**Chapter 3: The New and The Old**

"Explain," San demanded, her voice sharp with reproach. Akatara met San's fierce gaze for several seconds, trying to analyze what she was going to say. After the silence had persisted for a while, Ashitaka heard the other tigers burst from the forest, plunging themselves into the pool, reddening the water.

"I cannot tell you much more, Princess," Akatara said at last as she walked over to her children. "But I do have a request: stay away from the eastern side. For yourself. And your sanity."

"Are you CRAZY?" San shouted to Akatara. "Half of your children turned into demons! You can't fight them alone! The Moro tribe WILL help; if not for you, for the forest."

The tigress ignored San, rousing her children from their exhaustion. "Come, children. The humans are eating the forest alive as we rest," she urged them with strict determination. "Duty comes before safety."

Raising themselves slowly, the tigers reluctantly followed. Ashitaka could tell that they were more than tired, and that their spirits was very low. As the tigers disappeared into the forest, Akatara looked back at San, who had not stopped glaring at her.

"Promise me, San, that you will not venture into our side of the forest. There are things the wolves should not see; secrets of the past that the wolves have long tried to forget. Secrets not worth dying for. Believe in us tigers, and we will set things right."

San grit her teeth. "No." She declared, as Akatara disappeared into the forest.

* * *

"You can't LEAVE!" Toki said, banging the table with her fist. "We had plans for you! Live an adventureless, safe life for once!"

"I'm sorry, Toki," Ashitaka replied, his face drawn with determination. "But I am bound to the forest as much as I am bound to Iron Town. I must protect it if it is in danger."

Eboshi, Gonza, Kouroku, Toki, Ashitaka, and various other villagers were gathered around the village fire. Under the stars of the night, Ashitaka had discussed his plan to leave for the other side of the forest. The effect was profound upon all members there.

Ashitaka looked upon the faces of all the other members, who had fallen silent at Ashitaka's declaration. Eboshi looked back at him with her bright eyes as he look at her. Surprisingly, she had a slight smile on her face.

"It seems that nothing will change you from being a noble, dangerous person, Ashitaka," she said, with a voice of sadness and pride. As Toki started to speak, Eboshi quickly silenced her with her hand. "Leave him alone, Toki; Ashitaka will go if he chooses to do so. Nothing we say or do will change that."

Ashitaka stood and nodded at Eboshi, who nodded back in return. They were both stubborn warriors who understood each other. As he waded through the small crowd to his room, he caught Sophie and Melanie staring at him from his door.

"Ashitaka, don't leave!" Sophie exclaimed, hugging his knees. Ashitaka gingerly detached himself from the little girl and lifted her up to his eye level. The child met his determined eyes with her own innocent ones.

"I'll come back, Sophie. I promise."

With that, Ashitaka let Sophie down and hugged Melanie, whose tears had made a small wet mark on the ground. "It's okay, Melanie," He whispered in her ear.

"But-"

Ashitaka quickly put his finger to Melanie's lips to silence her. "Please don't worry. I'll be fine."

* * *

The sun beat down on Ashitaka's back as he rode Yakul across the forest. He was dressed in his old traveling cloak from the Emishi, with stone arrows that he had made himself in Iron Town. His sword sagged by his side. San was waiting for him by the mouth of her cave, dressed in her full hunting gear-including her new mask.

Ashitaka closed his eyes. "San, I told you not to dress up," he sighed.

In response, San quickly grit her teeth in annoyance. "You also told me that I shouldn't go," she said, with a voice full of anger. "It's _my_ forest, Ashitaka. I must go."

Ashitaka opened his eyes and met her fierce gaze, which reminded him of the first time they had met. He knew San well enough to see that persuasion was out of the question. He had to conform to her will or fight against her.

He decided to choose the latter.

"San. Your brothers are far from recovery. We cannot face them alone, if we were to get in a fight-we need your brothers." he turned away from San, pointing Yakul to the east. "This is why I am not going there to fight. I'm going there to-"

"See with eyes unclouded by hate." San finished sarcastically. Ashitaka nodded-San knew him well enough.

"Trust me, San. If I don't return soon, and once your brothers recover, you can follow me. But for now-" Ashitaka gazed intently at San. "For now, we must try to resolve this without hatred. We have no other option."

Without a reply, San thrust her spear into the ground. "I give you five days, Ashitaka." She declared. "If you do not return, I will follow you. Alone, if I have to."

With that, she stomped back to her cave, leaving her spear half impaled into the ground in front of Ashitaka. "Five days," Ashitaka muttered anxioiusly, as he pushed Yakul forward.

* * *

Yakul trotted through the eastern forest, following a stream that flowed from the pool of the Forest Spirit. The journey had been unusually peaceful-he had not encountered any gods or tigers along the way, and there were no humans nor kodomas in sight. The wind stood still; the only sound Ashitaka could hear was Yakul's soft steps.

"Strange," Ashitaka said to himself. "I don't even see wildlife here."

As if on cue, something moved far ahead, making a loud, painful roar. The sound of breaking trees filled the air. Immediately stopping Yakul, Ashitaka narrowed his eyes, trying to discern what was happening. It didn't take long for him to see that a demon was charging at something.

At _him._

"Run!" He yelled, as he oriented Yakul in the other direction. Yakul sprinted away from the demon like lightning, easily dodging trees in the way and jumping through the underbrush.

The demon didn't care. He charged through everything in his path, closing the gap.

Ashitaka turned back as Yakul rode forward. "Stop!" He yelled to the demon. "We're here to help you!" The demon didn't take heed (as expected), charging dutifully at Ashitaka.

As Ashitaka notched an arrow, a voice spoke from within his head. "YOU WILL NOT FIRE THE ARROW AT ME, CURSED HUMAN!" the voice, deep and powerful, reverberated through his head. Immediately, Ashitaka's left arm convulsed, almost making him drop his bow.

The young warrior watched in horror as he watched reddish black tentacles fly out from his arm. The faint purple scar on his arm pulsed with bright light, making his arm feel like it was on fire. Wincing to the pain, Ashitaka fell from Yakul.

"Run, Yakul!" Ashitaka yelled as Yakul turned around. "Go away!" He tried to fire an arrow in Yakul's direction, but the tentacles from his left arm quickly ate away the wood of his bow.

Meanwhile, the demon had advanced on Ashitaka. Without a bow to defend himself, Ashitaka grit his teeth in pain, clutching his flaming arm as he waited for death. He knew his sword would be useless against a demon.

Just as he saw his life passing from his eyes, Ashitaka heard a voice from behind him. "No need to hurt foreign travelers, little tiger," the voice said, calmly. In a flash, a person robed in white animal skin jumped in front of him and slashed a white sword upward and the demon's chin. The demon screamed in pain as it backed away a step, blood dripping from its head. It recovered quickly and charged at the white-robed man, who charged back. At the point of contact, the person stabbed his sword into the demon's eyes, jumping away at the same time to avoid its teeth.

Ashitaka watched in amazement and horror as the person drew his sword from the demon's eyes and thrust it at the screaming creature's heart with one fluid motion. The demon was dead before it hit the ground. The battle had lasted less than a few seconds.

The man was now robed in red, as the blood had stained his entire white attire. "Are you alright, traveler?" He said, with sarcasm. Ashitaka realized that his arm had retreated back to its normal state.

"Yes. Thank you...for saving me." Ashitaka replied, as he struggled to get up. His exhausted body flopped to the ground in vain.

"Please. I could do this all day," the other answered, helping Ashitaka to his feet. Ashitaka gasped as he viewed the man face to face.

The man's white robe was made out of the fur similar to San's. He wore a white gown with sleeves that extended down to his fingers. The gown was tucked into his long white pants, which were in turn tucked into his black shoes. A large oval earring dotted each ear—the ones San wore, except on these there were gold engravings of wolves. The man, who Ashitaka realized was not much older than he, had two long streaks of triangular red tattoos that marked his cheeks and a smaller triangle on his forehead. The only things different about him and San were their heights (San was about a foot shorter), and the color of their hair—while San had jet-black strands of relatively short hair, this man had silvery hair that extended down to mid-chest.

Although Ashitaka had observed all this in a matter of a few seconds, the man had noticed his intent gazing. "Oh," He said cooly, as if he read Ashitaka's thoughts. His voice slid over Ashitaka's ears like glass. "So you know the Princess."

Ashitaka came out of his observing trance and nodded silently, not wanting to give anything away. In truth, he wasn't sure if he could say anything if his awed state. He was still unsure of whether he could trust the man or not: the man had saved him, but in doing so he had single handedly taken down a demon in just a few seconds. He wasn't sure if the man was a human or some weird spirit—and, judging by his suspicious attire, he had something to do with San. He also had a chilling way of speaking, his voice smooth with calmness—the calmness of a lion before it strikes.

"Is she well?" the man asked, with a nonchalant manner. Ashitaka looked at him in surprise.

"Who?"

"Princess Mononoke, of course."

Ashitaka pondered about what he was going to say. Carefully, he replied, "Yes."

The man smiled and frowned at the same time, which made him look like he had eaten a lemon. He seemed to think about something.

After a long silence, Ashitaka pulled Yakul over to his side and mounted himself with all his strength. "I owe you great thanks; however, I must be on my way." Ashitaka bent his head down slightly, then started leaving.

Then something made his blood run cold.

"Where do you think you're going, young Emishi traveler?"

Ashitaka stopped, startled at how he was addressed. Without turning back, he replied, "I do not understand what you are talking about."

The man walked toward Ashitaka slowly. "You know well enough. Do you think I'm stupid? You're riding a red elk, for the wolf-god's sake. And you have stone arrows."

"The Emishi tribe died out a long time ago." Ashitaka shot back, calculating his words. _How did he know?_ He thought desperately. Only a few people knew stories of the Emishi tribe; and only a handful know that they rode red elks. Ashitaka had believed that Jigo was one of the only people who knew that fact.

The man grinned. "I know all about your tribe" He said, leaning into Ashitaka's ear. "I didn't know they existed. Until we cut down the wrong trees by accident."

* * *

"KAYA! Where's my lunch?" A man cried, sitting cross-legged at a table. Kaya, who was still busy delivering bowls to the Shakim women, busily hustled over to get the man's lunch.

"Move faster, you lazy maid!"

"Ouch, watch where you're going, slave!"

Kaya was clad in a bright yellow robe, made out of coarse fibers that often created rashes on her. The others from her tribe, as well as countless other people from different towns, wore the same symbolic clothing. Only the Shakim people wore beautiful white robes.

It had been two months since the Emishi tribe was overrun by the Shakims, who found them by destroying the trees around their village. The Emishi's scanty population was no match for the trained army of warriors, and most of the Emishi men died during a quick "battle". _More like a massacre,_ she thought. All the women were spared, but many were raped each night. Kaya was one of the few lucky ones who did not get abused. At least, not yet.

On many occasions, other village women had accused Ashitaka of revealing their location; however, Kaya knew this was not the case. Through marriage planning by families, she had known Ashitaka more than anyone else in the village. The prince of the Emishi would never do such a thing.

As Kaya daydreamed about her past, a loud cacophony broke out outside. "Master Skartok is back!" A man yelled to the people inside the dining hut. Immediately, people rushed out to greet the master as Kaya was forced to take refuge upstairs, where the slaves would bow down as Skartok enters.

The iron gates opened slowly as the townspeople gathered, straightening their clothes. Anyone knew that looking good in front of Skartok meant a lifetime of pleasure-and that looking bad meant certain death.

The master entered, immersed in a myriad of admiring shouts from the people. Kaya bowed her head, as did the countless other slaves, from the second floor balcony. She would have to do this until the shouts lasted, which often lasted a _long_ time.

But this time, the shouts didn't even last a few seconds. The people's enthusiastic yells soon became murmurs of confusion. Confused, Kaya lifted her head. It took her a moment to figure out who stood beside Skartok. And a longer moment to convince herself that she wasn't seeing things.

He was pale, and very dirty, but Kaya had daydreamed too long about him to not recognize his features. Ignoring the rules that forbade slaves to speak unless spoken to, she yelled his name across the expanse of people below.

"Ashitaka!"

**A/N: If you haven't noticed, the man who saved Ashitaka is Skartok. It's very hard to create names that fit the character, but I tried. Anyway, why is Skartok dressed exactly like San? How could he single-handedly take down a demon? And what is Ashitaka going to do, with Kaya and the other Emishi people in Shakim? Oh, and remember that San may be coming in 5 days. This will be a mix of the old and the new-a complete twist of fate.**

**P.S. I have no clue, as of right now, of how many chapters I will need.**

**Reviews greatly appreciated~!**


	4. Chapter 4: Struggles

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! I really appreciate it. I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well, though this is only a set-up for next chapter (which will hold all the fun!). This chapter just leaves a LOT of questions behind...**

**Disclaimer: I own Princess Mononoke in my dreams...nowhere else.**

**Chapter 4: Struggles**

The world was filled with amazing places. Ashitaka knew that more than anyone else; through his adventures to Iron Town, he had encountered many towns and consequently many people. But all the things he saw on his journey was nothing compared to what he saw in front of him.

From the outside, Shakim looked like a steel crown. Everything was covered with iron, and there were large spires that rose up high from the ground. Guards occupied every square feet on the high walls, observing him and Skartok with curiosity and, Ashitaka sensed, bloodlust.

"And now, young traveler from the west, I present you to Shakim." Skartok said emotionlessly, motioning the guards to open the door. Two massive steel panels began to open up. It must have taken at least twenty men to open the door. Ashitaka wondered how long it would have taken the people to make such a fortress for the city. He knew that Iron Town had been rebuilt in only a few months, but that was because everyone had put their hard effort to it. And Iron Town was a toothpick compared to Shakim.

A loud clamor erupted from the other side of the wall as the doors opened. People were talking-no, they were _cheering_. As the doors opened further, Ashitaka realized that hundreds, possibly even thousands, of people had gathered up to the gate.

"Master Skartok!" Someone yelled from the town.

"Welcome back, master!"

"How was your hunt, sir?"

"Were the tigers nice to you, master? I swear, I'd rip them apart if they laid a finger on you!"

Skartok was assailed by questions and cheers as they entered through the gate. As Skartok moved, people moved aside, making a long corridor in front of him.

Ashitaka was shocked. He had never seen so many people before in his life. Iron Town had been the biggest city he had ever been to, and he had thought that it would be the biggest in the entire nation except the palace of the emperor himself. He was proved wrong. VERY wrong.

As they advanced through the corridor, more and more people began to notice that Skartok wasn't the only person walking through the corridor. The yelling quickly died out as people looked at Ashitaka confusedly. It was so different from Iron Town, whose townspeople had quickly welcomed him into their arms as their own.

Skartok and Ashitaka walked amidst the murmuring crowd. In front of them, Ashitaka saw a large house - No, a palace-covered with gold accessories. A small pond was in front of it. Water flowed into it from the mouths of two large steel statues of wolves. The corridor made by the townspeople led directly to it, and Ashitaka wondered what Skartok might have done to make himself the "master" or this huge city. He was very young, after all, for he was perhaps five years older than Ashitaka at most.

"Let's get going," Skartok said, pushing Ashitaka forward. "We don't have all day, Ashitaka."

Ashitaka complied silently. It wasn't his type to talk during situations like this-he would not give anything away, including his connection to the Emishi tribe. He knew for sure that he could not reveal his knowledge about San or Iron Town; Skartok was beginning to seem more and more suspicious. First, he had slain a demon by himself, as easily as if he were cutting butter. Then came the equally surprising fact that he was dressed like San, and seemed to know much about her. But the biggest surprise was that he was the master of Shakim, which seemed to be grander and stronger than any town Ashitaka had ever seen.

Ashitaka was pondering these things in his mind, trying to decipher who Skartok was, when he heard someone cry his name from behind him.

"Ashitaka!"

Ashitaka abruptly stopped. He knew the voice well enough; he had dreamed about it every night before he had met San herself. His eyes widened as he realized that Skartok hadn't been lying to him about taking over the Emishi tribe.

"Kaya?" He yelled back, turning around. Skartok stopped too, and glanced back.

"Ashitaka! Here!" Kaya replied, waving her hand. Ashitaka quickly located her with his eyes, mouth open. Kaya was so happy to see him that she laughed, but Ashitaka stared back at her with eyes full of fear and concern.

"Worthless slave!" someone cried from behind Kaya. Kaya's laughter died quickly as she recognized the voice. Her face, which had brightened unintentionally upon seeing Ashitaka, immediately filled with dread.

"Please, ma'am! I didn't mean to ta-"

The woman behind her slapped her hard on her right cheek, bringing tears to Kaya's eyes. Before Kaya could recover, she forced Kaya to her knees and started assailing her with blows. "How dare you talk during the welcoming procession!" The woman yelled loudly as she continued to kick and slap Kaya repeatedly. The other slaves, some from the Emishi tribe, had to watch silently as Kaya was reduced to a crying heap of bruises.

Ashitaka rushed forward in order to save Kaya, but Skartok quickly grabbed Ashitaka's right arm in an iron grip. Ashitaka looked back at Skartok in desperation. "Let go!" He shouted, grabbing Skartok's hands with his left arm. Using his demonic powers, he tried to wrench it away.

Ashitaka saw Skartok's eyes widen as Ashitaka pulled his hands slightly away, but he quickly grabbed Ashitaka with a firmer grip. It was Ashitaka's turn to widen his eyes as he realized that he couldn't detach himself from Skartok, even with his strength. The two struggled as each one eyed each other with shock.

Without letting go of Ashitaka, Skartok shouted, "Get away from the slave girl!" Almost immediately, the woman beating Kaya backed away. The crowd had transformed into a silent group of stunned people, and the only thing that could be heard over the entire town was Kaya's loud sobbing.

Ashitaka continued to struggle against Skartok's grasp, but Skartok only seemed to grip harder. After a long stalemate, Ashitaka's arm began to shake with all the effort he put in. Eventually, Ashitaka gave up and let his tired hand drop to the ground in defeat.

Skartok also let go of Ashitaka's arm. Ashitaka noticed that the man's hand was shaking slightly as well, but he quickly covered it up with his long sleeve. The two frowned at each other with a new sense of caution.

_Who _IS_ he?_ Ashitaka thought, as he massaged his shaking arm. He had never seen a human who could rival him in sheer strength before, especially because he had the curse's power on him. Although several people may be able to defeat him in skillful swordmanship, Ashitaka had always maintained a supremacy over power. But this man-he was different. He seemed to be stronger than Ashitaka himself.

As they continued to stare at each other, Ashitaka could tell that Skartok was thinking the same thing about him. Ashitaka saw that Skartok was as shocked as he was to find someone who could almost rival his strength. Ashitaka had not told him about his curse yet, and he realized that Skartok must indeed be surprised at finding inhuman power inside a lost Emishi traveler.

After both of them had pondered about the other for some time, Ashitaka turned and headed over to Kaya again. This time, Skartok simply watched him go. Ashitaka wasn't sure if Skartok had given up or if Skartok had simply lost his words.

Ashitaka quickly clambered up the steps to the balcony and approached Kaya. She was still on the ground, but had ceased crying. Instead, she was struggling to get up, which she couldn't do on her own. Ashitaka noticed that black and purple bruises were beginning to show from all over her body. How hard had the woman hit her?

From the corners of his eyes, Ashitaka could tell that the woman was trying to creep away from him. She froze as Ashitaka lifted his head to glare at her, then started running away from him. "Help!" She cried, fear marking her voice. "He's trying to kill me!"

Several women met her down the stairs, and tried to calm her down. Meanwhile, Ashitaka lifted Kaya up on his shoulders.

"Where's the nurse?" He asked an old man next to him. It was then that he noticed how the people on the balcony were wearing different clothing than the people below. Kaya's robe was made out of a coarse yellow material, while everyone below was dressed in white.

The man pointed to a place several feet away. It was a barn, painted red, with some hay spilling out from its doors. Ashitaka glared at the man. Was the man messing with him?

"WHERE IS THE NURSE?" He demanded, leaning in closer. He saw the man's face turn red with fear as he pointed to the barn again before clasping his hands into a begging stance. Ashitaka was frustrated at his refusing to speak, but he realized that the man was trying to help him.

He looked at the barn doubtfully. Then, a thought hit him- Kaya and the old man were _slaves_. He wondered if the barn was where the slaves' nurse lived. Could it be possible? Could Skartok really be that harsh?

There was only one way to find out. Ashitaka descended the stairs, heading over to the barn. People in his way silently stepped aside, looking at him with faces full of fear. Ashitaka wanted to let them know that he would never hurt anyone unless it was absolutely necessary, but he knew that they wouldn't believe him, anyway, so he kept his mouth shut. As he neared the barn door, Skartok shouted at him.

"It'd be best if you visit my palace sometime soon, Ashitaka," He said, rasing his voice to emphasize the word, "soon". "It seems we have a lot to discuss."

Ashitaka ignored him and walked into the barn.

The barn was weirdly managed. There were panels of wood sticking out every few feet or so, with hay stacked on each panel. scraps of food littered each panel. Upon closer inspection, Ashitaka realized that the panels were _beds_, with hay serving as mattresses to cushion the hard wooden surface. There were several rats that were scurrying around the barn, walking right over some of the hay beds. In the middle of the barn was a huge box, with rectangular holes on each side-each holding a single neatly folded yellow robe. There were no signs of personal property except for a small box at the head of each bed.

Ashitaka desperately searched for the nurse. She wasn't hard to find; after all, she was the only person in the barn. Ashitaka gasped in surprise as he recognized who she was.

"Wisewoman?" He cried, as he saw the familiar white-haired woman sitting in a corner. She was pounding something in a wooden bowl with a small stick. At the call of her name, she looked up, her eyes widening as she saw who it was.

"Ashitaka! What are you doing here?" She cried back, dropping her bowl and running in closer to Ashitaka. "Is it really you?"

"Yes. I'll explain later. First, please help Kaya. She's badly hurt from a beating."

Ashitaka gingerly laid down Kaya, who was looking at Ashitaka admiringly. Ashitaka looked back at her with concerned eyes, and when their eyes met, Kaya smiled warmly despite the pain she was in.

"Ashitaka..." she said weakly, lifting her hand to stroke Ashitaka's face. "You're...back."

"Oh, you poor child!" The wisewoman said, examining Kaya's wounds. She took out a small jar from her pocket, and handed it to Kaya. "Smear this on yourself before you sleep tonight, Kaya. It'll help you recover while sleeping."

Kaya nodded. Seeing the Kaya was not too badly hurt, Ashitaka sighed in relief. He wouldn't know what he would do if she were hurt fatally.

Then, a thought hit him. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be convincing Shakim to stop destroying the forest. How could he forget such a simple and crucial task? Ashitaka realized in despair that by trying to protect Kaya, he had completely abandoned his original quest. His mind flashed to Skartok. What was he _thinking,_ struggling with the town's master like that? Now Skartok knew that Ashitaka wasn't just a normal traveler, and would probe in further to his past. Ashitaka had a faint intuition that as soon as Skartok started to view him as a threat, he would be killed.

"Ashitaka? Ashitaka!" Kaya cried, jolting Ashitaka back to his surroundings. "Are you okay? You suddenly turned very pale..."

Ashitaka smiled. Even as a slave, Kaya had not changed one bit: she was still the brave, kind girl he knew her to be. "I'm fine, Kaya," He said, in assurance. Kaya sighed in relief. As she tried to touch his face again, Ashitaka backed away. "You should rest your arms, Kaya."

"I missed you so much, Ashitaka! Ever since you got the curse..." Kaya trailed off, seeming to notice something. "Hey! Your curse is gone!"

"Yes; it was been gone for a time now, thanks to a forest spirit."

"Ashitaka, tell us everything. I must know." The wisewoman said. "And how did you meet Skartok?"

Ashitaka hesitated. What would Kaya think if he told her about San? Although he and Kaya were not bound by marriage plans anymore, he was unsure of what Kaya thought of him. Would she approve if...if he described San as beautiful? And if he told her about the happy moments they shared during his visits to the forest? He stole Kaya a glance, only to see her beaming at him. He decided to leave off San's story. _I'll just call her a wolf-girl,_ he thought, organizing his journey inside his head. _No need to explain how she looks or what my feelings about her are._

Reluctantly, Ashitaka began his story.

* * *

"Yakul?" San cried, as she heard and smelled her friend in the distance. She was tending to her brothers, applying the native plants of the forest to their wounds. Her brothers had healed quicker than Ashitaka had thought, due to the pool of the Forest Spirit. They'll probably be as good as new by the next few days.

"It's strange," Mure muttered, as San stood up to meet the elk. "I don't smell Ashitaka."

San walked a few more steps until she realized what Mure had said. She immediately stopped.

"Ashitaka..." she said, trying to smell him. His scent was completely absent, even though Yakul's was getting stronger. San's eyes widened as she processed the information.

Yakul never left Ashitaka. She knew that for a fact-Ashitaka had told her that Yakul tried to follow him with an arrow wound on his side. Nothing could part them-according to Ashitaka, they had only parted when Ashitaka strictly commanded Yakul to stay while he looked for her with her brother. The only thing that could separate them was...

It couldn't be.

"Ashitaka!" San shouted, breaking out into a run. Her thoughts immediately went to the dream she had a few days ago. She pictured Ashitaka among the scattered dead bodies, clutching his wound in pain before he died.

_Stop thinking that!_ She shouted to herself in her mind. _Ashitaka won't be hurt. No, he can't be..._

Using her hunting senses, San located Yakul quickly, based only on the elk's scent. Her blood drained from her face as she noticed that no one was on Yakul's back. Though she tried to pull them back, San felt tears form in her eyes.

"Yakul! What happened to Ashitaka? What-"

Yakul hurried over to her, and spoke to her mind. He quickly communicated to her that they had met a demon, but that Ashitaka was saved by a foreign man. _**Calm down, please. **_He said._  
_

San couldn't. "Then where is he now?" She demanded, unintentionally shouting at Yakul. Yakul had been with Ashitaka all these times; why hadn't he followed Ashitaka this time?

Yakul seemed a little bothered by this question. San heard a dull silence in her head as Yakul looked away from her. "Yakul!" She yelled.

_**The**_** _man...he..._**Yakul hesitated. _**He spoke through my mind. No human, not even Ashitaka, can do**_** that...**

San didn't quite get the elk's point. "And?"

_**The man is a dangerous man,** **San,**_ Yakul said. _**He killed a demon alone, in almost an instant.**_

"AND?" San couldn't believe what she was hearing. The man was dangerous, so Yakul _left _Ashitaka? What was the elk thinking?

_**Ashitaka sent me here to tell you that you shouldn't follow him. He said that fighting is out of the question.**_

"Oh..." San sighed in relief. It also made sense-Ashitaka would try to handle things on his own. So nothing had happened. But something bothered her. "The man killed a demon? Alone?" She asked incredulously.

**_Yes. With a sword._**

San frowned. She didn't know any human who had killed a demon alone. Ashitaka was an exception, but she knew that Nago had been in demon form for several days before he reached the Emishi tribe, meaning that he would have died soon anyway from exhaustion. And Ashitaka had used arrows, never making contact with the demon. Killing a demon with a sword was virtually impossible...

"San." A voice said behind her. Whipping around, San noticed Tiju and Mure standing a few feet away from her. In the bright sunlight, San could see that the wolves were in a much better condition than she had thought. In fact, they looked completely healed.

San glanced at Yakul, who had bowed his head in respect. No doubt he was telling her brothers the news. After a brief silence, Tiju cried, _"_A human did WHAT?"

Mure calmly nodded at Yakul, making his way over to San. "What's your plan, sister?" He asked, with a low growl.

San rolled her eyes. "We have to go, of course. Is that even a question?"

Tiju turned his head towards her. "But Ashitaka is much stronger than any human, San. He may be doing fine himself, in which case we will simply be disrupting his plan."

San shook her head. "I have waited long enough. And..." San glanced at Mure. "I'm afraid that my dream will come true."

Yakul seemed to be extremely bothered by San's decision. _**But Ashitaka**_** said-**

"I don't care what that human boy thinks," San snapped coldly. "No one tells me what to do."

* * *

The wolves ran through the forest, with San riding on Tiju. San was dressed in her hunting gear again, with a spear in her hand and two knives in her pouch: one made out of bone and the other of crystal. She felt the thrill of adventure tugging at her wolf-senses again as they made their way over the eastern forest. There was a full moon, reminding herself of how much she loved being a wolf. But there was also a shadow of worry that was clouding her mind and judgement, which irritated her.

_Stop worrying,_ San scolded herself. _You're a wolf. Wolves don't worry-they act. _Even so, she couldn't help but worry. What if Ashitaka was hurt? Or worse-what if her dream came true? Would she be able to save him? What if she was too late? What if-

_STOP. IT. _She was literally shouting at herself. What was happening to her? _Who cares about a human boy, anyway._

An influx of reasons why she cared about Ashitaka flooded into her mind, but she quickly managed to block them out. Recently, she had been exposed to more and more of those..._human_ feelings. She hated them. The feelings were outright disgusting.

Then, a question blasted through her defenses. _What if I love him?_

San shook her head violently. Tiju looked at her strangely as she bit her lips and narrowed her eyes. _I don't. I can't. We're different species! _

San resumed the journey thinking about how she hated Ashitaka with all her guts.

* * *

"San!" A voice suddenly cried. "San! Wake up!"

San immediately snapped out of her ruse, and turned to Mure. "What is it?" She asked seriously. Looking around, San realized that her brothers had stopped in the middle of the forest. Tiju was sniffing the air, head held high.

"Something's coming," he said urgently. San readied her spear, preparing to throw it at anything that would dare pop out of the forest. The three wolves waited in silence as they tensed up in anticipation.

"What do you smell?" San asked Tiju.

Tiju shook his head. "I only smell blood," He replied, lowering his head and pawing the ground. "A _lot_ of blood."

San groaned. Demons? Again?

Then, something clambered over a hill in front of them. Two more followed, creating three dark silhouettes of large animals as they rushed toward San and her brothers. San pulled back her arm, aiming at the foremost target, when a tiger's roar erupted from it.

"It's Akatara!" Mure said, narrowing his eyes. "Don't attack." San knew that her brothers' sight far surpassed hers in the night, so she slowly dropped her spear.

After a few seconds, Akatara jumped in front of San, closely followed by her two tigers. The moonlight bathed them in a pale glow. San gasped.

Akatara, as well as her two wolves, were almost completely bathed with blood. Their stripes were not visible at all-only the tigers' yellow eyes shone in the night. But something was weird. The smell...

San sniffed the air. _Hmm, _she thought curiously. _This smells like boars' blood_.

"Akatara!" She said, stepping forward. "What happened to you?"

Akatara roared loudly, stomping the ground in frustration. "WOLF-CHILD!" She exclaimed unhappily, as she leveled her eyes with San's. "I thought I told you not to come!"

San crossed her arms. "Well, it looks like you and the boars didn't do so well, because I smell plenty of boars' blood from you!" Akatara obviously needed help.

Akatara growled. "Do NOT talk to me in that way, HUMAN!"

That crossed the line. "I am a WOLF! How dare you call me human!" San stepped forward. "The Moro tribe WILL defend the for-"

What happened next, San was not sure. There was a flash of orange in front of her eyes, and San found herself flying through the air. _What the-_

_CRASH! _San's back crashed into a tree, sending jolts of searing pain down her body. Her eyes blurred as she tried to regain balance.

"WHAT DID YOU DO, TIGER?" She heard Mure roar in the distance. When San finally cleared her eyes, she found herself a few feet behind Moro and Tiju, her back against a large tree. As her brain began to function again, San realized that Akatara had _hit_ her.

"There is someone here the wolves cannot see," Akatara said threateningly. "If you insist on going, my tribe will have to fight you."

San gasped. Not the kind of gasp that comes with surprise. The gasp that a wolf makes before pouncing.

**A/N: Poor San. She never gets a break, does she? But really, why is Akatara intent on keeping the wolves out? And why is she covered in boars' blood?  
**

**As for Ashitaka, things are getting COMPLICATED. Will his first priority be on saving the forest, or on saving the Emishi tribe? What will Kaya say when she sees her crystal dagger on San? He really has a lot on his hands. **

******Then there comes Skartok. But he's really special, and I won't give any hints here. I'll just say that...he has something to do with San. **

******Please give me lots of reviews! I like to know people are reading my story, and I would absolutely LOVE to know what you think of the various characters and plots. Thanks!**


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